TheRetroCritic

Movies. Video games. Pajamas. With the wide variety of media that has been infiltrated by Batman, chances get higher all the time that the next Batman fan you meet won't have ever read a Batman comic. If you or someone you know is looking to meet Batman between the pages of a graphic novel, read on to see my top choices & why I recommend them for getting to know Batman in his original medium. 1   BATMAN: YEAR ONE   (Frank Miller) As you may guess from the title, this is a telling of how Bruce Wayne is inspired to become Batman, what he goes through to achieve that goal & what life is like after he first puts on that cowl. Almost everyone knows the basics of that plot already, but it is truly well done here & I think that it is Frank Miller at his best. Aside from the Batman aspect, I urge everyone to read this comic for the reason that it's not only a portrait of Batman, but also of Jim Gordon (Holy first impression, Batman!). The man is awesome. Non

Adapting Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel Dune was never going to be easy. So what better choice to direct the epic undertaking but David Lynch, a filmmaker known at the time for directing a weird-ass little movie about a screaming human baby tadpole and something about a guy with elephant-like facial features... Surely THE man for the job. Now I'm not saying that picking Lynch to direct was a mistake, after all, who knew that Tim ' Pee-Wee's Big Adventure ' Burton could pull off Batman ? But if what the studios wanted was some kind of really commercial trilogy or a fast-paced, Star Wars -style action flick then they couldn't have made a weirder choice. But I, for one, am happy they made it. I freakin' love Dune! Now I know it's hardly regarded as Lynch's best work and it's never really listed along with the best novel-to-movie adaptations ever but... it's Dune! By David Lynch! Tell me how that's not all kinds of awesome. Oh

Following Basket Case was never going to be easy, especially considering how final the ending of the first film was! Then again Frank Henenlotter can do anything so it should be no surprise that Basket Case 2 is actually is a really enjoyable sequel to a cult classic. This time, there's a bit more budget and a bit more story as more "freaks" are introduced to Kevin Van Hentenryck's monster twin. The make-up effects on the freaks in question are very creative and one can't help but feel like these ghouls would feel right at home in a Beetlejuice -style afterlife. Like its predecessor, Basket Case 2 is a lot of fun, doesn't take itself seriously for a second and has a unique playfulness about it that very few horror/comedies actually get right. The film does build up to a hugely satisfying, insane, finale which boasts probably THE most ridiculous and disgusting sex scene you're likely to see in a movie. For that glorious scene alone, check out this s

Basket Case may be a one joke movie, but what a joke it is. Guy carries around a basket with a monster in it (well...brother...long story) and the monster is sent off to kill a bunch of seedy doctors. It's a revenge movie with horror, drama, romance, monster rape: it's got it all! This first instalment is very low budget so expect something gritty looking and very DIY in its approach but there's plenty of fun to be had with the use of stop-motion animation, entertaining comedy side characters and loads of blood...oh and one of the longest (read: pointless) and most elaborate flashbacks you're likely to see. The mystery shrouding the basket itself during the first half hour is actually pretty clever in the way it's handled. The anticipation is nail-biting and the reveal: delightful! The murders are as wacky and colourful as you'd expect and although the story is pretty slight and the acting mostly dire it's all worth it just to get to the odd

Frank Henenlotter, the mad genius behind the Basket Case movies, directs yet another piece of nutty horror/comedy gold. This time, instead of a killer tumour...twin we're introduced to Aylmar: a brain devouring piece of crap with a beautiful singing voice.  As evil brain leech Aylmar slowly takes over Bryan's (anagram for Brayn, geddit?) dependence with his addictive juice, Bryan's world becomes a fertile source of hallucinations and bloody, unmotivated serial killings.  The killings include lots of brain sucking, a deadly blow-job and a kiss of death to name a few. The film is way more polished than, say, the first Basket Case and in terms of randomness this is actually closer to that film's sequel so expect a healthy dose of stop-motion and almost good practical effects. The obvious drug imagery is perhaps hammered in a little to much and some of the film is quite repetitive but on the whole this is an original, very funny and hugely enjoyable  mad ride